A Little Friendly Competition
by AComplimentInDisguise
Summary: Ash and Misty have always been friends-#1 in each other's life. But what happens when Misty starts getting attention from other guys? Can Ash handle a little friendly competition? Pokeshipping. warning: MAX! CHAPTER 2 FINALLY UP!
1. Let the Games Begin

**A/N**:

OMG guys I finally got around to starting another story!!

I know it's been like months, but school has been keeping me so busy. And well, other times I did have a lot of spare time, but whatever, I was lazy. The point is, that NOW, i am bringing you another creation! One that I have had for a very long time, and I'm not really sure where exactly I'm going with it. I haven't planned it out so well, so reviews are greatly appreciated as always.

Anyway, I just wanted to point out some things about my writing that some people have also mentioned to me. A lot of times my paragraphs are like way too short and seem really rushed. So if you get that feeling while reading this, my bad, lol. I'm working on that, I'm trying to edit more, but I just like publishing stuff as soon as I get it done. Just bear with me.

I really hope you guys like this one, it's like my baby :) Ok that's just weird.

On with the story! (masterpiece??? lol..no :D)

**UPDATE!:**Regarding the new characters, I didn't really put in a discription of them, you can use your imagination for that. Although, i might make a note of their appearance later on. Also, on a more imporatant note, I wanted to mention something i forgot before: **Bianca**, if you caught that, is **NOT **the girl from the 5th Pokemon movie. So no, there is no,' i'm secretly latias' thing going on. Kay? Kay. :)

Oh and also the characters are all obviously older. Because it would be really sick for some random 'man' to be checking out Misty if she was only like 12.

* * *

A Little Friendly Competition

"I'm ready," she called from the staircase.

Ash looked up anxiously to see Misty dressed in a strapless blue dress with hair like dancing flames falling down her shoulders and a smile that would put the Mona Lisa to shame.

Satisfied with her friend's reaction, she slowly took a step forward, her right hand resting on the railing in a graceful manner as she walked.

"You look beautiful," Ash said, surprised at his choice of words, especially after he could've sworn he had lost his voice for a moment there.

Misty shot him a surprised look, and Ash cringed, afraid of her response, but she merely beamed back at him until they were face-to-face.

"I…" he started, but was cut off when Misty gingerly placed her finger on his lips.

His heart was pounding, fighting to escape from his chest.

"I know," she said. "I love you too."

Slowly they both leaned forward, eyes fluttering shut and hands caressing each other's faces when ---

The door burst open and sunlight poured through uninvitingly.

"Rise and Shine!" yelled a cheery Misty as she eagerly snatched the covers away from her unsuspecting victim.

"Uhh…too early," Ash groaned as he instinctively shut his eyes as tight as possible while reaching out for his blankets.

"No, no, no, Ashy-boy. It's time to get up!"

Ash wrestled with her for the blankets in what became something of a tug-of-war game until Misty successfully pulled them off.

"Come _on _Ash. New town, new places! Let's go!"

Ash, however, had resorted to fetal position for warmth and only gave a small grunt as a response to his friend's nagging.

"You promised yesterday we'd all get up early. Everyone else is already downstairs."

Hugging a pillow, Ash lazily waved his arm at her to go away.

Misty sighed, glaring.

"Fine, I'll give you 10 minutes, but _only _ten minutes...and you know I'll be counting," she said threateningly.

The door closed gently, followed by a sigh of relief from Ash.

He had been having a good dream, a really good dream, but he couldn't remember what it was about. All he knew was that something wonderful would've happened if Misty hadn't barged in.

_Some best friend she is_, he thought. _And what was she talking about anyway, "New places…early… ten minutes?"_

The words floated around his head until finally, they clicked.

"Oh, man! What time is it?"

He threw himself on the nightstand, gasping in disbelief when he saw the time. He then jumped out of bed so fast that the clock tilted over and fell on the ground face-up, reading: 9:45 a.m.

Stripping off his clothes and stepping in the shower, he squeezed half the shampoo bottle in his hair and rubbed the soap over his body in all of five seconds. Not even bother to rinse the lather, he got out and got dressed.

Finally pulling his black t-shirt over his head, he glanced at the mirror left and right, nodding in approval of his appearance. Now all that was left was his hair. He paused for a minute, wondering what to do with it. After a moment, he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and ran a hand through his messy black hair and walked out the door to catch up with his friends.

"How much longer do we have to wait?" May whined.

She was sitting in the green booth, picking at her breakfast that had gone cold 30 minutes ago. Sitting next to her, Dawn was occupying herself by staring at her reflection in a small mirror.

"Not long," Misty replied.

At this, Dawn sighed loudly, for Misty had been giving the same answer all morning.

Max, who had been attempting to drag Brock away from the hotel receptionist, overheard the short conversation and shot a nasty look at his sister and her best friend.

"Way to be patient guys," he said.

"What was that Max?" questioned an angry May.

Max sweat-dropped, mentally kicking himself for not thinking before opening his big mouth.

"Uh, I said, I'm so glad I have such a loving and forgiving sister?"

May glared suspiciously at her brother. "That's what I thought."

"Ok I'm ready!" Ash yelled as he leaped over the last four steps of the staircase.

Landing roughly on his feet, he stumbled forward, crashing into Misty.

"Final—oof" she said, knocking over the coffee table she had been standing next to.

The couple sitting at the table jumped in surprise as their coffees tipped over and spilled.

On the floor, Ash and Misty rubbed their aching heads. Ash gave Misty and apologetic look while snarled viciously at him, seconds away from ripping his head off.

The man at the table scoffed angrily as if demanding an apology.

"Oh um, I'm really sorry about this," Misty said bashfully, noticing the steaming coffee had spilled over him.

The man looked down, words forming in his mouth until he caught sight of Misty and was rendered speechless.

"Uh, that's alright actually. It was just an accident, don't worry about it," he said.

Misty gave him a small smile of thanks.

Then, the man extended his hand out to her.

She took it gratefully.

"My name is Kayden, by the way," he said.

He held on to her hand longer than necessary before pulling her up to her feet.

"My name is Misty," she said, once she was standing.

"And I'm Ash," Ash said, butting in between the two a little too aggressively.

Kayden smiled slyly at him.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Misty….and Ash. But my friend Bianca and I are kind of in a hurry. So uh, hopefully we'll see you around," he said, emphasizing the 'you'towards Misty.

"Yeah, nice to meet you too," Misty said.

Ash remained quiet, his arms crossing over his chest with impatience.

Misty smiled forcefully and nudged him in the side.

"Right, nice to uh, meet you…sorry about the coffee," he muttered.

Kayden nodded and gave Misty once last look before placing his hand on Bianca's shoulder to lead them out the door.

* * *

A/N

Ok i'm going to try to make this as quick as possible because i REALLY need to go to bed.

but you guys need to REVIEW.

or i'll eat you,

actually no lol.

if you just like favorite, that's awesome and all, but i mean, if you favorite it, that must mean you like it. And i would love to hear that feedback.

Because it would definetly motivate me to right faster and get things...better. Right.

so REVIEW.

love yaaaaaaaaa

~AComplimentInDisguise (ACID!)


	2. Whoa! Pause and Rewind

Whoa! Pause and Rewind.

**A/N:** Ok, so as the title suggests, I'm rewinding the clock a bit, starting from where Brock is trying and failing to impress yet another girl.

This is just to show where the rest of the gang was at the time and how things looked from where they were standing. This is how I was imagining the second chapter starting off, which made sense to me at the time, because that way when everyone comes in, it won't be totally out of the blue.

**(References!! Look for these numbers in the text for explanations-if needed-)**

1=Amanti is the Italian word for lovers; at least that's what it said online. I believe it is pronounced ah-man-tee

2= I think its pronounced Fee-or-ee-too-rah. At least that's how I'm saying it. Anyway, it means to bloom in Italian. Yeah, I'm lame 

* * *

Trying to turn on his charm, Brock leaned over the counter and raised his eyebrows up and down at the pretty receptionist. Much to his dismay, she seemed unfathomed by his display and continued to smack her gum and twirl a strand of her long blonde hair around her polished finger. He leaned in closer, beginning to recite one of his infamous pick up lines when he felt someone grab his ear from behind.

He flinched, recognizing the familiar touch, yelling, "Don't worry my love, I'll be back!"

To his proclamation, he received nothing more than the flip of a magazine page and sound of bubble gum popping.

He sighed dramatically as he was dragged off by none other than Max.

"You sure took Misty seriously when she asked you to keep an eye on me," Brock said gruffly.

"I'm only doing her a favor, just like a good friend would," he answered.

It was only a few seconds later that two reached the table where May, Dawn, and Misty had been eating breakfast.

Max noticed his sister looked particularly grumpy and Dawn was…well Dawn was starring in the mirror, so at least she was keeping herself occupied. And then of course, there was Misty. She had taken to letting her hair down, which was now well past her shoulders. She also ditched her old outfit and was wearing red denim shorts with a thin yellow belt and a white t-shirt. She had her arms crossed and looked annoyed with May's constant questions of how much longer they would have to wait.

Instinctively, Max jumped in, talking down on his sister for being so impatient. Bad move.

May stood up defensively, slamming her palms on the table, daring her brother to repeat himself. Max recoiled instantly and apologized, just the effect May was hoping for.

Dawn smirked at the scene, at least there was some excitement going on from time to time. She was really starting to get bored. Plus, she had really worked on her appearance today. After all, if they were going shopping, she had to look her best for any guys that might be walking by. She tilted her head to the side and smiled as her thoughts were overcome by images of cute boys asking for her number.

Suddenly a loud crash was heard, and everyone snapped their heads to the left. They caught sight of the fallen table and Misty stumbling to regain her balance, but falling at the last second on the hard tile, with Ash at her feet. Brock winced at the sight, not just because it seemed particularly painful, but because he feared for the physical well-being of his friend after Misty got a hold of him.

The man who had been sitting at the table instantly jumped to his feet but calmed when he saw Misty. They saw the two of them shake hands and introduce themselves. Only seconds later did Ash but in, causing Brock to laugh out loud. _Poor guy probably doesn't even know he's jealous, _he thought.

Then, even more surprising, were the screeching sounds of chairs being forcefully pushed back, and the footsteps of an angry Max marching towards the scene.

May gasped in shock at her brother's reaction and ran in front of him, apprehensive of what he was going to do. Max seethed from behind his sister, watching as the man flipped his navy blue hair, winking his hazel eyes at Misty before leading his green-haired companion out the door.

_How dare he flirt with Misty when he's already with that other girl!_ Max thought.

Once the pair was out of sight, Max pushed his sister aside and ran towards Ash and Misty.

Misty seemed slightly dazed and was still smiling when Ash tapped her lightly on the shoulder from behind, asking if she was ok.

Snapping out her trance, Misty made her hand into a fist and threw it back so it would slam against Ash's face.

"Idiot," she mumbled.

* * *

The tiny bell that hung on the door at the entrance of the hotel chimed merrily as the group finally stepped outside. They had all agreed the day before to take a short break from their constant traveling and competitions to relax in the famous Amanti-City. (1)

They planned to spend the whole day sight-seeing and shopping, more specifically, shopping for a certain beach party called the Fioritura (2) that was to be held the following afternoon. Misty had seen a flyer to this event at the hotel they were staying at, and insisted they attend. She of course made Ash pinky-swear that they would all go to the party, which apparently was a local tradition celebrated during spring, when the flowers bloomed.

Walking further down the streets of Amanti-City, the sun shone brightly on the pebbled sidewalk beneath their feet and illuminated the tall buildings around them.

Ash couldn't help but gaze at Misty as her face lit up with all the different stores they went into. The only reason he was enjoying himself through the endless hours of shopping was because she was happy.

"Hey, I think this is a good time to eat, what about you guys," Ash suggested after everyone had gotten their outfits picked out.

Misty rolled her eyes. "Leave it to you to think about food Ash."

However, as soon as she said this, her stomach growled impatiently.

"Eh," she sweat-dropped.

"Now who's the one thinking about food?" Ash said mockingly.

"Oh shut up! Ok, ok, let's get something!" Misty said good-naturedly.

Everyone laughed affably as they entered a nearby food joint.

Once seated, a waiter immediately approached their table.

"Good evening, my name is Kayden, and I'll be your waiter today. How may I---wait, Misty?"

"Kayden! Oh my gosh, what are you doing here?" Misty laughed.

"I work here," he said in an obvious manner, pointing to his uniform.

Misty blushed at her idiocy, but couldn't help smiling like a fool, while Ash glared viciously from behind his menu.

"You know, I don't think its coincidence that we ran into each other twice in one day," he winked.

Ash was about to unleash a mouthful of unpleasant remarks, but was muffled by Brock's not-so-subtle kicks under the table. Max on the other hand, was staring at Kayden intently, believing that if he stared hard enough, lasers would shoot out of his eyes, melting the unwanted visitor to the ground.

"Why is that?" Misty asked.  
"Well, don't you think so? Surely it must be fate." He paused, pleased that she seemed mesmerized by his every word.

"You do know of the Fioritura party tomorrow night, correct?"

"Yeah, we're really excited about it!"

"Oh so then you are going to be there?"

"Yup."

"We're _all_ going to be there," Ash cut in, quite bluntly.

However, Kayden and Misty seemed to ignore his statement.

"Well is this just another coincidence or what? I would be honored if I could escort you there. What do you say Misty?"

Misty was flattered beyond belief and the evidence was present in a rosy shade among her cheeks.

"Oh, I don't know what to say!"

"How about a yes?" Kayden suggested slyly.

"Sure! I'll be looking forward to it."

The rest of the evening consisted of continuous flirting between Kayden and Misty, glares by Ash, frowns by Max, kicks by Brock, and giggles by May and Dawn.

* * *

The day of the Fioritura had arrived and the bathrooms were occupied by Misty, May, and Dawn who were frantically getting ready.

Finally, all the girls except Misty had presented themselves to the rest of the group.

"Misty, are you coming?" Dawn asked from the bottom of the stairs.

"Don't worry, I'm ready!" She called.

Slowly, Misty descended the staircase, _dressed in a strapless blue dress with hair like dancing flames falling down her shoulders and a smile that would put the Mona Lisa to shame._

Ash couldn't help but stare at her in awe and then wonder why this scene seemed so vaguely familiar.

But he was snapped out of his thoughts when the bell on the door rang, indicating a new arrival.

"Wow Misty, you look great!" Kayden exclaimed.

Ash choked at the scene, Kayden had stolen the words right out of his mouth.

"Thanks! You don't look too bad yourself."

Kayden chuckled. "Well, ready to go?"

"Oh, sure!"

She glanced back at Ash as she passed him, giving him a small smile before walking out the door.

* * *

He couldn't stand it anymore. It hurt bad enough that he had hardly seen her the whole night, but it was even worse that he was the reason why. He had kept her to himself the whole night.

This night was supposed to be a day of relaxation, but he couldn't even enjoy the food and music when the love of his life was dancing with another man.

His stomach churned as he watched her face light up when he twirled her. He felt his throat burn when she rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes in happiness.

Across the dance floor, Max was busy pouring himself yet another cup of punch, when he heard Misty burst into a fit of giggles.

Raising his head in curiosity, he saw her dancing with Kayden. He squeezed his paper cup tightly, the red liquid splashing onto his hand. He hated to admit it, but Misty really seemed to be enjoying herself. Not wanting to watch the two any longer, he wandered over to the shore to think.

As he walked further away, the laughter and music of the party slowly faded into the background and a calm, serene atmosphere was created in its absence.

He continued to trudge along in the sand when he noticed another figure off to the right. As he got closer, he finally recognized the person to be Ash. He was sitting on a rock, staring into the sunset with a rather depressed look on his face.

"What are you so upset about?" Max asked.

"…"

"Yeah me too," he replied, taking a seat next to him on the rock.

"No offense or anything, but I kind of wanted to be alone for a while," Ash said gruffly.

"None taken," he replied as he continued to sit patiently.

"It's just….never mind."

"No, go on," Max urged. Ash took a deep breath before continuing.

"It's not fair," he said.

Max had a sudden impulse to ask for some clarification, but wisely decided against it. He knew that when it came to Ash, it was better not to press him for things. Instead, it was better to wait for him to talk when he was ready.

"Two days, he's only known her for two days and suddenly they're best friends! I mean, I thought _I _was her best friend. But then this Kayden guy comes in, and everything totally flips around! Have you noticed that Misty hardly ever talks to me anymore? And whenever she does, it's always about Kayden. 'Oh, Kayden is so nice, 'Look what Kayden bought me', and 'I don't see why you don't like Kayden, just give him a chance.' I hate that last one the most," he confessed.

Max couldn't help but be taken aback by his friend's sudden outburst. It seemed like he wasn't the only one affected by Kayden's presence in the group.

"I know what you mean! I just can't stand it," He immediately agreed.

Ash and Max both nodded their heads and continued to stare into the horizon with hostile expressions.

Ash was still nodding his head, grateful that someone understood what he was feeling_. Yeah, Max isn't so bad after all_, Ash thought. _I mean, once you get past the annoying 'I know everything' attitude, he's a good kid. I mean, he totally gets why I hate this guy. Kayden _*scoff* _what a stupid name too. _Ash laughed in the middle of his thoughts, and glanced over to Max, who was lost in his own head. _It's funny that we've never agreed so much on something before. I wonder why this of all things. I mean, if I didn't know any better, I might think that Max---_

"Max," Ash said abruptly, his face drained from all emotions.

"What?"

"You don't…I mean, this is kind of random, but…oh, forget it. What am I thinking," he said, muttering to himself silently.

Unfortunately for Ash, his odd behavior was intriguing to Max, and he begged him to finish his sentence.

"Come on Ash! Just say what you were going to say," He pleaded.

"Uh…I don't know. It was really pretty stupid. It doesn't mean anything."

"Well then just tell me! I won't laugh or get mad if that's what you're thinking."

Max paused when Ash looked unsure.

"I promise," he said.

Ash sighed. Max was pretty good when it came to promises. Besides, he was almost positive that he was just fooling himself was those stupid thoughts, so what was the worst that Max could say?

"Ok, ok, fine! I was going to ask if well…you don't like Misty, do you?"

Max stared at him dumfounded.

Ash stared back, beginning to feel uneasy when Max wouldn't answer.

After about a minute or two, he shook Max frantically by the shoulders, afraid that he had undergone some kind of silent stroke and was slowly dying.

"Max! Hello, earth to Max! Are you okay?"

Finally, Max awoke from his trance and nodded his head.

"God you scared me there, what was that all about?" Ash asked.

"Um, I…uh," he stuttered.

"What is it? It's ok, you can tell me," He said, the words sounding oddly familiar.

"Ash, I…I do like Misty," he confessed shyly.

Ash's jaw dropped all the way to the ground. He was in an unbelievable state of shock.

"YOU WHAT?"

* * *

Hmmm, drama, drama, drama!

Haha, ok I'm going to leave it at that for now.

I know a good chunk of it was kind of just like repeat, yeah this already happened. But personally, I liked that version of the beginning of the story. It was definitely lacking in dialogue, but I think it was more humorous.

Also, I added some descriptions of Kayden and Bianca! But if you already imagined the characters differently, that's ok. I know I should have put that in the first chapter, but oh well.

Anyway, hope you guys liked this chapter, it was waaaaaaaay longer than the first. Feel free to submit any ideas and don't forget to…………

**REVIEW! **

Also: yes I know, I LOVE to make ash jealous, but no worries, I am a STRONG pokeshipper!!! And yes, max likes misty? Didn't see THAT one coming huh?? Yeah right.


	3. Round One

**A/N: Well this was certainly a fast update! There's a lot of stuff going on in this chapter, and a new character. I've also realized there have been no Pokémon so far. Let's just pretend they're on their own vaca for the moment, I'll try to remember to address them later**.

**And let's say, just for future reference that Max is about 16. The rest of the character should therefore be in their very early 20's. **

* * *

"I said I like Misty," Max restated with more confidence.

"But…but…you can't!" Ash stammered in disbelief.

"Why not?"

"Well I mean, you can like her of course, but c'mon Max. You're too young for her. A-All I'm saying is…I don't want you to get your hopes up for nothing."

At this, Max had to get defensive. How DARE _Ash_ of all people talk to him about love when he couldn't sort out his own emotions for years?? That's right; he **knew **Ash had feelings for Misty too, so he couldn't help but use his own words against him, when they fit the situation so perfectly.

"Well, don't you think _you're_ a little too young for her too? Yeah, don't get _your _hopes up either Ash. This is war!"

And with that, Max stormed off back to party, leaving a flabbergasted Ash behind on the cold, lumpy rock which they had been sitting on.

"Well...that was definitely a surprise," Ash said to himself.

And after a moment, he concluded, "I don't think I like surprises very much anymore."

* * *

Max was so busy huffing and puffing his way back to the party, he didn't even bother to excuse himself as he rammed into a group of people who had been chatting away.

Only with his luck did this group happen to consist of his sister May and her friend Dawn, as well as two boys they had met: Drew and Kenny.

May darted her head around to catch a glance at the rude person who had pushed them aside. Only seconds later did Dawn gasp and point her finger to a blue-haired boy with glasses who was shoving people right and left.

May scowled. "Jeez, wonder what's wrong with him."

Drew flipped his brilliant green hair back and gave May a knowing look.

"Boys will be boys," he said wisely.

May raised an eyebrow and then drifted her eyes to the left where she caught sight of Kenny and Dawn moving across the dance floor. Drew took the hint and politely asked her dance; May accepted.

At this point, Max was one again at the refreshment table. This time he glared at his sister and Dawn, envying their happiness.

"Look at them, all bubbly *scoff* they don't even know those guys! They only like them for their looks- that's all that matters to girls."

"Not to all girls," A delicate voice from behind said.

Max jumped and spun around. In front of him was a girl with very light brown hair that brushed slightly past her shoulders in waves. Her dark green eyes shined with determination and her tan skin gleamed in the moonlight.

"Oh, uh, sorry, I didn't know you where standing there," was all Max could think of to say.

The girl smiled apologetically. "No, it's not your fault. I shouldn't have scared you like that. My name is Clarissa by the way."

"Uh, Hi."

Once again, the brain-smart, book-worm, know-it-all boy, was rendered speechless by a pretty girl.

"And…your name is?"

"Oh! Max! Yeah, my name is Max," he said sheepishly.

"So Max, you think girls only care about looks?" She said, casting him a side-glance.

Max opened his mouth to retort, but like stated previously, he really was smarter than most boys his age.

"Well, not all girls," he said, remembering her statement.

"Really? Because I thought all boys cared about was looks."

"Not all boys," he said.

"I hope you're one of those boys that don't care," she said quietly before walking away.

Max watched her in amazement as she left, confused and yet happy that she had spoken to him.

It was only 10 minutes later that the music had stopped and the DJ, a large man with short black hair and shades, picked up the microphone for an announcement.

"Good evening everyone! I hope you've all been having a great time!"

Everyone cheered.

"Well, well *chuckle* as you might have guessed, it is now time for the grand finale!! Those of you new to the Fioritura celebration, may I present to you, the traditional Fioritura dancers!"

The crowd clapped respectfully, as four girls stepped onto the stage from behind to large, maroon curtains. Three of them looked to be about in their early twenties, including one with strikingly green hair. The fourth however, seemed younger, about Max's age, and her dark green eyes were piercing from behind the pink veil draped across her face.

The four dancers stood in four corners so as to form a square. Their right hand was held above their head, and the left swept across their stomach, gently resting on their right hip. In each of their hands was something that resembled a large purple petal, which was probably about half their height, which they enclosed themselves in to give the appearance of a bud.

The girls were wearing white, spandex type shorts that ended above their knees, covered by a light pink skirt that ended at their ankles. Their stomach was exposed by a half shirt that was also of the same color and material of their shorts that ended at their elbows. Their hair was pinned up in a pun with loose strays and of course the pink veil that wrapped around their face.

The spotlights danced across the stage as the music begin. It was a soft orchestral sound that appropriately reminded the audience of the spring, yet slightly seductive as the girls swayed their hips back and forth, moving the large petals in a graceful manner to make it seem as if they were blooming.

The dance went on for a while until the DJ stopped them once more.

"Alright then, that was great wasn't it? But how about we have someone from the audience join these lovely ladies on stage?"

"Any volunteers?" he asked, scanning the crowd, until he spotted Misty.  
"You there! In the blue dress, how about giving it a try?"

"Oh no, that's ok. I'm sure someone else would love to--"

"Go on Misty! It looks like fun!" Kayden urged.

Before she could protest further, the youngest of the dancers pulled her up on stage and handed her the two purple petals.

Misty seemed a bit awkward at first, but soon got the moves down and even looked professional. She laughed and smiled with the crowd, enjoying herself, until her eyes landed on Ash.

His eyes met hers with a look of pure sadness. Just one look at him, and Misty's spirits spiraled downward. It wasn't until that moment that she realized what a horrible 'best friend' she had been to him lately. She could hardly recall their last conversation, and here she was, up on stage having a good time without him.

She slowly lowered her petals as the final song ended and the crowd burst into applause. Misty was still staring in Ash's direction, but the crowd had rushed past him, blocking him from her view.

"Ash," she whispered.

Kayden laughed joyfully as he helped Misty down, showering her with compliments. Brock and the rest of the gang, including Kenny and Drew, also congratulated her on a great performance. But Misty's mind had drifted off, and she let herself go on auto-pilot, smiling and thanking her friends without any real meaning in her voice.

* * *

"Wow Misty, seriously, you were so great!" Kayden said for about the 10th time.

The crickets chirped loudly in the background as he walked her back to the hotel. Misty could only mutter another thank you.

Kayden sighed.

They had finally reached the hotel and where at the front door when Kayden gently took Misty's hand and leaned down to give her a good-night kiss.

It was at this instance that she finally awoke from her dream-like state, and turned her head so that he kissed her cheek instead.

"What's wrong?" He asked, knowing full well the reason to her odd behavior.

"Nothing it's just…"

"You like someone else, right?"

Misty was shocked at his forwardness, and couldn't answer his question.

Kayden smiled sadly.

"It's ok Misty, I understand. Well, Goodnight."

Misty watched him leave until he was no longer in sight. Once he was gone, she leaned heavily on the wall adjacent to the doors. Sighing loudly, she let one hand linger on the handle, running the other through her hair in frustration.

"What's wrong with me? The old Misty would've pulled Ash on stage too. But I just let him stand there, I ignored him," she said to herself, unaware that from the downstairs window, a certain black-haired trainer had been carefully watching her the whole time.

* * *

It had been two days since the Fioritura dance, and Kayden hadn't been seen since. During his absence, Max had apparently decided to put the 'moves' on Misty. At least, this is what he had told Brock, to which he had responded with a very forced smile of encouragment.

He was busy picking flowers in a large meadow he had found near a park in town when he heard a familiar voice call, "Hey, it's Max, right?"

Max stopped his flower picking and came face-to-face with Clarissa, the pretty girl from the party.

"Yeah, and its Clarissa right?" he asked.

"Yeah," she laughed, enjoying their word game.

"So watcha doing over here by yourself?" she asked.

"I'm trying to impress a girl," he said, without a hint of shame.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, not realizing the girl was _not_ in fact herself.

"What does she look like?"

"She has orange hair and really pretty blue eyes. You might have seen her at the party, one of the dancers pulled her up on stage."

Clarissa went wide-eyed. "Oh… I know her."

"So, did you just see her, think she was pretty, and decide to give her flowers?" she asked in an accusing tone.

"What? No, I told you I'm not like that, remember? Me and her travel with the same group of friends, I've known her for a while."

"…But don't you think you're too young for her?"

Max glared daggers.

"What—NO! Why does everyone keep saying that? And, and, why don't you mind your own business anyway?"

"I'm just saying--"

"Never mind. Nice seeing you again," he said, with a strong tone of sarcasm.

Max quickly left the meadow and bought some chocolates when he spotted Misty in the middle of street, looking at a pair of earrings with May and Dawn.

"Misty! May, Dawn!" He called.

The three girls waved back at their companion.

"What's with the flowers and chocolate?" Dawn asked.

"They're for Misty. Here you go Misty. I hope you like it," He said genuinely, completely unabashed to have given her the gift in front of his sister and friend.

May's jaw dropped and Dawn burst into a fit of giggles as Misty politely accepted the present.

"Oh, thank you Max. That's very thoughtful," she said slowly, unsure of how to handle the situation.

_You've got to be kidding me. Max has a crush on me? What am I going to tell him?_

Max took her reaction to be "speechless" and offered to buy the earrings she was looking at. Misty said it was alright, but Max bought them anyway.

The next two days were the same thing. Everywhere Misty went, Max was around one corner or another, giving her candy, bears and cards. She accepted each gift with a smile and a thank you, but cringed on the inside.

_I can't 'lead him on' like this anymore. I just don't want to hurt his feelings!_

She sighed sadly before taking another glance at Max. She was surprised to see him talking with a brown-haired girl who looked oddly familiar.

Letting her curiosity take the better of her, she sneaked her way to the back of pole and listening in on their conversation.

"Seriously, are you following me or something? First I saw you in the meadow, then the candy store, then in the toy and card store!"

"It's a small town! And how do I know _you're_ not following _me?_"

"_Clarissa_, why would I follow you?"

"I could ask you the same thing _Max_."

Misty pulled away, deciding she had heard enough, for their bickering reminded her too much of herself and Ash.

_Ash, _she thought.

She had promised herself to spend more time with him, but so far wasn't doing too good.

* * *

Ash paced around his room impatiently waiting for Brock to finish his shower.

Eventually he heard the squeak of a turning knob, causing the water that had been rhythmically pounding the floor to come to a halt.

Ash waited another minute or two as Brock got dressed. When the door opened, he practically threw himself at Brock, exclaiming, "FINALLY! And I thought it took girls a long time to get ready!"

Brock rolled his eyes at his immature friend. "So do you want to talk about this or not?"

"Right, right, sorry about that Brock-o."

"Well…this would be the time to say something," Brock suggested, after a few moments of uncomfortable silence.

"Oh, yeah. Well it's just…you know how Max has been giving Misty all these gifts lately?"

"Yes," he said, dragging out his answer.

"Don't you dare say I'm jealous," Ash warned before continuing, "but I can't help thinking that Misty may actually…_like_ Max, you know in that way."

Brock stared at his friend with a serious expression. Then his right eye twitched, followed by the left corner of his mouth, until he unleashed his thunderous laughter.

"Aw, c'mon Brock, it's not funny! I need your help here!" He exclaimed.

Brock wiped the tears from his eyes and let out a few more restrained bursts of laughter.

"Sorry Ash, it's just *snigger*Do you seriously think Misty has _romantic _feelings for Max?"

"Well, I don't _want_ to think that. But she keeps taking all his gifts and smiling and spending time with him- I mean, what am I suppose to think?"

"Ash, she's just being nice to him; she doesn't want to hurt his feelings."

"Oh...I guess that makes sense."

"Why does it bother you so much anyway? If you don't mind me asking, seeing as you insist on not being **jealous** and all."

"Uh, thing is…you see…"

Suddenly, Ash seemed to become very intrigued by his shoes, his voice dying out completely.

"You were saying?" Brock insisted.

"Ok, Ilike Misty. There I said it."

"Is that all?"

"Huh? What do you mean 'Is that all?' What else did you expect?"

"I don't know. I just mean that you expected me to be surprised, but I already know you like her."

"B-But how?"

"It's pretty obvious Ash, especially when you got jealous about Kayden, which yes my friend, you were indeed: JEALOUS."

Ash growled at the mention of his name, but then sighed dejectedly.

"Does Misty know?"

"Know that you like her, or know that you got jealous?"

"Both."

"I don't think so, and that's for both of them. It seems that when it comes to your feelings for her, Misty's about as dense as you are with…well, everything."

Ash glared.

"Except Pokémon of course," He added.

"Of course," Ash agreed, flopping down on his bed in a depressing manner.

"Lighten up Ash. Are you really considering Max as some kind of competition?"

"Kind of," he admitted.

"Don't worry about him Ash. It's just a matter of time before Max gets tired of chasing after Misty without any result, or Misty gets the courage to reject him…There's also the possibility of a new poke gear device coming out, or the discovery of a new Pokémon fossil that would grab Max's attention away from Misty. You just have to be patient," he concluded, shrugging his shoulders.

Ash laughed at his friend's last remark, and thanked him for the talk. Brock nodded and sensibly left the room to leave Ash with his thoughts.

_Max may not __**really**__ be any competition, but it's time I show Misty I'm willing to fight for her anyway. _

**

* * *

**

Hmm do I see a Max and OC pairing? Possibly, cast in your votes if you would care to review.

**The second chapter didn't get a whole lot of feedback, I'm hoping people were just too lazy to review, but please do because now I'm wondering if it's even worth continuing this story.**

**On another note, yes, Ash is finally going to start taking some action. It seems he hasn't been in the story a whole lot. But that is going to change. I'm considering heavy fluff for the next installment :D **


End file.
